Jayalalithaa asks Karunanidhi not to try to politicise Mullaperiyar issue

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said on Friday that immediately after the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Mullaperiyar dam case, the State initiated all preliminary works for raising the water level.

In a statement, she said that on May 8 itself (the day after judgment was delivered), PWD officials had started works, doing the marking for 142 feet in the dam and the spillway and painting the shutters and applying grease on them. Besides, they were clearing the pathway between the main dam and the baby dam, she said, reacting to DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s statement.

“On my direction,” the State government issued an order on May 8, nominating Cauvery Technical Cell chairperson R. Subramanian as Tamil Nadu’s representative to the supervisory committee constituted by the Supreme Court, Ms. Jayalalithaa said. To enable the supervisory committee to begin its work immediately, Chief Secretary (Mohan Verghese Chunkath) sent a letter to the Union Water Resources Secretary, seeking an early appointment of nominees of the Central Water Commission and the Kerala government to the committee.

She explained that the State government could not do anything unilaterally as the court had said “the [Supervisory] committee shall supervise the restoration of FRL in the Mullaperiyar dam to the elevation of 142 feet.” This was why the State not only nominated its representative but also wrote to the Centre on the nominees of the Central and Kerala governments.

She expressed doubt whether the Congress-led government at the Centre would now act on the letter. Exuding confidence that her All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam would be in a position to shape the policies of the new government at the Centre after May 2014, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the committee would be constituted, and it would take steps for raising the level to 142 feet.

Criticising Mr. Karunanidhi for trying to cause confusion in the minds of the people, she appealed to him not to attempt to make political gain out of the issue. She also recalled how her previous government, during 2001-2006, took steps for the expeditious disposal of cases concerning the dispute, which resulted in a favourable judgment from the Supreme Court in February 2006.

Kerala has the right

Kancheepuram Staff Reporter reports:

Kerala has the right to approach the Supreme Court for a review of its Wednesday order allowing Tamil Nadu to increase the water level of the dam, Union Minister V. Narayanasamy has said.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, he said the court gave the ruling after going through the reports submitted by the committees it had appointed to verify the claims of the two States. Kerala had the right to approach the court again, but the court delivered the verdict after considering the arguments of the States.

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